A visit from some friends

AnnaClaire's best friend, Lucy, and her Mom came to visit for the weekend and we had the best time! AnnaClaire and Lucy were at Chenzhou SWI at the same time and for the 4+ years that the girls have been home, we've tried to get together at least every year. The girls have the most precious bond and they are absolutely adorable to watch together. When Mom dropped Lucy and her mom off at the airport, AnnaClaire cried the whole way home. She is already counting down the days until she gets to see Lucy again!

But anyway, we had a wonderful weekend! On Friday, Mia (who is also from Chenzhou), Emily, and their parents came over and there was lots of food and fun for everyone! It was sweet to have all the kiddos running around our house! They had a blast together! On Saturday, we woke up and headed to the zoo (and Sissy even joined along!) Gracie had a basketball tournament, so she stayed home and had a special day with Daddy, and the rest of us had a great time at the zoo. The kids all had a blast riding the tram, looking at the animals, climbing the statues, and having a picnic lunch! The elephants, zebras, and giraffes were the biggest hit! The NC weather was beautiful for the zoo and we all had so much fun! That night, the girls were so excited to all 3 bathe together! They had to show Lucy all the things that sisters do, since Lucy is basically their sister :)

We were sad to say goodbye on Sunday, but of course had a fun morning together before doing so. And we are already looking forward to the next time we get to be together! Thanks for visiting us Lucy and Laura! We had a BLAST!

Dancing and basketball

Here's some pictures of what we've been up to! Various sports for the kiddos and then over the weekend, we saw a beautiful group of Chinese orphans perform dances for us. Our four all had a blast and even met some friends :) I hope you are all had a great presidents day weekend! I promise I'll post an actual update/something longer soon!!! I know the blog is becoming completely neglected! If there's anything you want an update on, feel free to comment and I'll get to it! :) 

Mom's Birthday and Valentines Cookies!

As Mom says, we are making the most of every "first" holiday here! The other day, the kids all made and decorated valentines cookies and made valentines! Everything turned out so precious! Mom's birthday was last week, too! She ended up with lots of cards made by her loving children :) Gracie was especially so excited to give Mom all of the cards she made! So I know it's a week late, but happy birthday, Mom! We love you!!

Happy Chinese New Year!

 With this being Gracie's first Chinese New Year not in China, we had big shoes to fill! Thankfully, some friends took care of that for us when they planned a Chinese New Year dinner for a bunch of adoptive families in the area. We had a blast both catching up with old friends and meeting new ones, too. There were so many kids there and they all had the best time together! I have never heard so many laughs or so much energy! There were crafts, cute decorations, amazing food that everyone brought, and of course nothing like the company! :) It was so much fun and hopefully it become an annual event :) Our four kiddos were having the time of their lives, and AnnaClaire said over and over again how much she loved parties. She is already counting down for the next one!

Then tonight, on the actual Chinese New Year, we did fireworks, sparklers, and had authentic Chinese food at a little place near us. So it has been fun, and hopefully Gracie is impressed with our efforts at making it all special and fun! :)